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215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires



 
 
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  #11  
Old February 22nd 11, 05:44 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Lanny Chambers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 832
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

In article >,
Alan Baker > wrote:

> That having been said, I'll take the new rubber out on an empty parking
> lot the first time there's a chance to test them on snow. If they're
> unworkable, I'll but the steel wheels with four snow tires back on for
> the duration.


I like to see a man with a plan, and that's a good one. Cheers!

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C
Ads
  #12  
Old February 23rd 11, 05:32 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Carbon
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Posts: 138
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

On Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:47:02 -0800, Alan Baker wrote:
> In article
> >, Lanny
> Chambers > wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Alan Baker > wrote:
>>
>>> Lanny, with respect, I think you're overstating the case.

>>
>> I'm just relating personal experience.
>>
>> Just for kicks, I once backed halfway down my short, snow-covered
>> driveway. I could stop, barely; I set the handbrake, had my wife give
>> the car a push with one hand, and slid all the way to the street
>> (which was clear). With the rear tires at the curb, I let the clutch
>> out in first, got out of the car, and watched the tires churn slowly
>> at idle. This was with T1Rs, and I would call it a total lack of
>> snow grip.
>>
>> Perhaps your snow is different. Wetter, because Vancouver doesn't get
>> very cold? I've driven my Miata in snow exactly once, because the
>> snow arrived early and a meeting ran too long. It was 15°F, I had
>> Dunlop D60s, and 1/4" of dry snow was scary over 30 mph.
>>
>> I normally enjoy driving in snow, and I'm good at it, but Miatas are
>> rotten in snow without proper tires.

>
> I've driven my Miata in Edmonton in snow with OEM 14" tires and in
> Vancouver 205/40-VR16 B.F. Goodrich Euro T/As--even when they were
> close to bald...
>
> ..and I've made it work. :-)
>
> But, yes: here in Vancouver it is mostly within a few degrees of
> freezing. And it is unlikely that even 5% of my miles will be on snow.
>
> That having been said, I'll take the new rubber out on an empty
> parking lot the first time there's a chance to test them on snow. If
> they're unworkable, I'll but the steel wheels with four snow tires
> back on for the duration.


Having lived in Alberta and Vancouver, I always thought snow and ice was
a bit less difficult when it was really cold, say -20C or colder.

I've only been in one accident in my life that was my fault, and it was
a rainy February night in Kitsilano with near freezing temps. A
jaywalking pedestrian popped out from between two parked cars and the
car in front slammed on the brakes. I did too, and skidded into him.
  #13  
Old February 23rd 11, 04:02 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Lanny Chambers
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Posts: 832
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

In article > ,
Carbon > wrote:

> Having lived in Alberta and Vancouver, I always thought snow and ice was
> a bit less difficult when it was really cold, say -20C or colder.


On winter or all-season tires, perhaps. Not on summer tires.

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C
  #14  
Old February 24th 11, 02:49 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Carbon
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Posts: 138
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

On Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:02:34 -0600, Lanny Chambers wrote:
> In article > , Carbon
> > wrote:
>
>> Having lived in Alberta and Vancouver, I always thought snow and ice
>> was a bit less difficult when it was really cold, say -20C or colder.

>
> On winter or all-season tires, perhaps. Not on summer tires.


All-seasons. The only people I knew who had summer tires had multiple
sets of wheels and didn't mind swapping every six months.
  #15  
Old February 24th 11, 04:51 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Alan Baker
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Posts: 2,026
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

In article > ,
Carbon > wrote:

> On Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:02:34 -0600, Lanny Chambers wrote:
> > In article > , Carbon
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Having lived in Alberta and Vancouver, I always thought snow and ice
> >> was a bit less difficult when it was really cold, say -20C or colder.

> >
> > On winter or all-season tires, perhaps. Not on summer tires.

>
> All-seasons. The only people I knew who had summer tires had multiple
> sets of wheels and didn't mind swapping every six months.


I had summer tires on my Miata from 1994 until very recently; at times
very bald summer tires. My B.F. Goodrich Euro T/As got very bald towards
the end, but I successfully negotiated occasional drives on snow-covered
roads even when the temp was truly below freezing.

Granted: it's not something I'd want to do if it was going to be all the
time...

....but it wasn't instant loss of all traction; not even close.

But as I've already said, if whatever tires I eventually get don't work
out that way, then I'll be mounting the old steel wheels with snows next
winter.

What I'm not going to do is change the fact that I want proper high
performance tires good in the dry and definitely good in the wet because
I may need to change tires for 3 months of the year.

:-)

--
Alan Baker
Vancouver, British Columbia
<http://gallery.me.com/alangbaker/100008/DSCF0162/web.jpg>
  #16  
Old February 24th 11, 04:10 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Stephen Toth[_2_]
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Posts: 14
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

In article >, Alan
Baker > wrote:

> In article > ,
> Carbon > wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:02:34 -0600, Lanny Chambers wrote:
> > > In article > , Carbon
> > > > wrote:
> > >
> > >> Having lived in Alberta and Vancouver, I always thought snow and ice
> > >> was a bit less difficult when it was really cold, say -20C or colder.
> > >
> > > On winter or all-season tires, perhaps. Not on summer tires.

> >
> > All-seasons. The only people I knew who had summer tires had multiple
> > sets of wheels and didn't mind swapping every six months.

>
> I had summer tires on my Miata from 1994 until very recently; at times
> very bald summer tires. My B.F. Goodrich Euro T/As got very bald towards
> the end, but I successfully negotiated occasional drives on snow-covered
> roads even when the temp was truly below freezing.
>
> Granted: it's not something I'd want to do if it was going to be all the
> time...
>
> ...but it wasn't instant loss of all traction; not even close.
>
> But as I've already said, if whatever tires I eventually get don't work
> out that way, then I'll be mounting the old steel wheels with snows next
> winter.
>
> What I'm not going to do is change the fact that I want proper high
> performance tires good in the dry and definitely good in the wet because
> I may need to change tires for 3 months of the year.
>
> :-)


Alan,
Wanted to comment on this thread, but I cannot find spec ratings for
the Euro T/As since it appears to be discontinued, so take this with a
grain (or more) of salt.
Not sure that the Euro was truly a summer tire. Some references to it
that I found said it was an all-season tire. That can be significant.
The high performance tires have a tread compound that will get very
hard at freezing temperatures, and tend to have very few sipes (those
little cuts in the tread area) to let the tread area flex. That said,
you can extend their range by lowering the tire pressure so that the
tread warms up more in the cold. That works for short drives, but will
cause excessive wear on longer drives. The pressure changes do not help
for ice or snow.

I have not driven The Euros or the S.drives, but I am looking to get
the S.drives for my '06.

The last performance tires I had on the '93 were Goodyear Eagle F1
GS-D3s which I loved. Lowering the air pressure kept them drivable down
to freezing, but they were useless in the snow or on ice. That was with
manual trans and limited slip. Not recommended unless you enjoy high
blood pressure and adrenaline anxiety, and I consider myself an
excellent snow and ice driver with a lot of experience in New England
winters.

I purchased the '06 used, and the original tires were nearly gone. Put
Eagle F1 All Season tires on it for a start hoping that they would give
me some performance, and be reasonable for some limited snow and ice.
They were a disappointment. Performance was not bad, but they were no
good in snow, especially without limited slip. Anything that required
even speed maintaining acceleration could result in tail wag if one
tire had a little less traction. Most embarrassing was not being able
to move the car at all (just wheel spin) from its parking place after a
snow storm. The parking place is only a few degrees from flat.

The bigger disappointment with the F1 All Seasons, was that the tread
belts seemed to separate near the end of their life, so they became
noisy and rough. Neither of these seem to be made in Miata sizes
anymore, so they are no longer a comparison point.

The '06 now has some Michelin X-ice on it with a second set of wheels
so it is drivable in the snow we get here in SE PA. A world of
difference, but they sure are not performance tires. Cornering speed
possible is way down, of course part of that is that I went to 195/55
16 from 205/45/17. But I got them so that winter driving was not a
scary proposition.

I look forward to the S.drives in a month or so, and would like to hear
your experience if you go that way.

--
-------
Stephen Toth
white '93 220k mi. with the kids - now deceased
'06 Galaxy Grey GT 6AT
  #17  
Old February 28th 11, 10:11 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Iva
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Posts: 347
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

Stephen Toth wrote:
<snippage>
>
> I look forward to the S.drives in a month or so, and would like
> to hear
> your experience if you go that way.


I put the S.drives on last year and ran them pretty hard through
the summer, including a couple days on the track. They were a
bit noisier than the last set of tires (OEM Bridgestone Turanza)
but held the road quite well, even in rain. Cornering was a joy
and I was only able to get a couple of chirps out of them all
season.

That said, they totally suck once the temperature gets below
about 45F. My '04 currently has cheap 15" wheels and Blizzak
snow tires on right now. I used to run Blizzaks on the '90 for
the winter as well here in eastern PA.


Iva & Vixen
2004 Classic Red
No more winkin' Miata


  #18  
Old March 12th 11, 02:13 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
xyzzy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

On Feb 20, 10:26*am, Lanny Chambers > wrote:
> In article >,
> *Alan Baker > wrote:
>
> > I've done some checking and a lot of people seem to think a lot about
> > the S.Drive's wet weather performance.

>
> Lots of summer tires are very good in the wet. The T1R is a notch or two
> better than that, with significantly more grip under all conditions. In
> addition, it's very lightweight and has an amazingly-plush ride.
> However, its turn in is not very crisp, which bothers some folks.


Maybe I should look into these. Can you elaborate on what you mean
by "not very crisp" turn-in?

My Miata is a 96 and it's been shod for a few years with the Dunlop
D60-whatever tires that were highly recommended a few years ago. As
they have got a few years and a few 1000 miles on them, they are
terribly loud, to the point the car is unpleasant to ride in with the
top up (top down the sun and wind and air distract me from the tire
noise . I don't remember the OEM tires being that bad, but
unfortunately I don't even remember what the OEM tires were since it
was 15 years ago that I bought this car. .

Part of the problem may be that my other car is an LS400 which is very
quiet, so that may make the Mata seem worse. And I'm 15 years older
than I was when I bought this Miata. At any rate I'd like something
quieter but still want good grip in the twisty roads. I live in NC
and have another car so summer tires are fine. Another "problem" is
that I "only " drive my Miata about 7000 miles a year, so it will be a
while before these Dunlops wear down enough that I can justify
replacing them. But next time, because of my slow pace of rolling up
the miles, durability will not be a factor in my selection.
  #19  
Old March 12th 11, 03:52 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Lanny Chambers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 832
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

In article
>,
xyzzy > wrote:

> Can you elaborate on what you mean
> by "not very crisp" turn-in?


Sure. When you turn the steering wheel sharply, there's a slight delay
before the car responds, until the slack is taken out of the soft
sidewall and the tread bites decisively. If you initiate the turn
smoothly and progressively, you might not even notice, but it apparently
makes some folks crazy. I adapted in 15-20 minutes, by turning in a
fraction of a second earlier. I consider this a characteristic, not a
problem.

The pliant carcass also gives the T1R a wonderfully smooth, velvety
ride, and an uncanny ability to ignore broken pavement or gravel on the
road. It just keeps gripping without drama.

I must warn you that any aggressive summer tread can hum on certain
types of concrete pavement. My T1Rs were very quiet on asphalt.

Plan on replacing the T1R after three years, regardless of tread
remaining. They'll be too hard by then to work well in the wet.

I had three sets of these tires. I'm currently on Bridgestone RE-11s,
just because I wanted to try something different...which they are indeed.

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C
  #20  
Old March 13th 11, 03:01 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Frank Berger[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18
Default 215/40-R16 Yokohama S.Drive tires

xyzzy wrote:
> On Feb 20, 10:26 am, Lanny Chambers > wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Alan Baker > wrote:
>>
>>> I've done some checking and a lot of people seem to think a lot
>>> about the S.Drive's wet weather performance.

>>
>> Lots of summer tires are very good in the wet. The T1R is a notch or
>> two better than that, with significantly more grip under all
>> conditions. In addition, it's very lightweight and has an
>> amazingly-plush ride. However, its turn in is not very crisp, which
>> bothers some folks.

>
> Maybe I should look into these. Can you elaborate on what you mean
> by "not very crisp" turn-in?
>
> My Miata is a 96 and it's been shod for a few years with the Dunlop
> D60-whatever tires that were highly recommended a few years ago. As
> they have got a few years and a few 1000 miles on them, they are
> terribly loud, to the point the car is unpleasant to ride in with the
> top up (top down the sun and wind and air distract me from the tire
> noise . I don't remember the OEM tires being that bad, but
> unfortunately I don't even remember what the OEM tires were since it
> was 15 years ago that I bought this car. .
>


The OEM tire on my '96 was the Bridgestone SF325. It was dangerous to drive
on in the rain. I swapped it for the Dunlop D60 and the dealer split the
cost with me. The D60 was a decent all season tire, not a high performance
summer tire. Later I switched to the T1R and loved them. I replaced the 17"
wheels on my current Mazdaspeed with 16" Enkeis' to soften the ride and
went back to all season tires because I wanted to drive on snow. I regret
it and miss my T1R's.

 




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